Opera Night at the BPL | Songs of Light and Liberation: An Exploration of Many Faiths Through Music

Opera Night at the BPL | Songs of Light and Liberation: An Exploration of Many Faiths Through Music December 7, 2026 6:00 – 7:30 PM FREE – Register for event reminders Rabb Lecture Hall – Boston Public Library Central Branch 700 Boylston Street, Boston MA 02116 Register: Coming soon In a season when many traditions gather around light, hope, and the promise of freedom, Boston Lyric Opera returns to the Boston Public Library for an evening of music drawn from different faiths and shared human stories. Artists of BLO move from the radiant hope of Handel’s Messiah to the deep well of African American spirituals, from the Exodus story in R. Nathaniel Dett’s The Ordering of Moses to Omar, Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels’s Pulitzer Prize-winning opera about Omar Ibn Said, a Muslim scholar captured in West Africa and enslaved in the Carolinas. Join us for an evening of reflection, connection, and song. Performers: Claire Burreson, soprano, Jane & Steven Akin Emerging Artist Ricky Lee Owens, Jr., countertenor, Jane & Steven Akin Emerging Artist Fred C. VanNess, Jr., tenor, Jane & Steven Akin Emerging Artist Alum Panelists: Nina Yoshida Nelsen, Boston Lyric Opera (Moderator) This event welcomes all audiences – no experience with opera is necessary! Playbills with texts and English translations will be provided. Opera Night at the Boston Public Library is a legacy community partnership between Boston Lyric Opera and the Boston Public Library, offering equitable access to quality opera learning experiences for over 25 years. This event is part of BLO’s 50th Anniversary Season. Learn more at blo.org/50years